Eleven days after the bodies of a missing Reserve couple were found in the Intracoastal Waterway, records have surfaced showing that authorities are investigating their disappearance as a double homicide, and that several, previously undisclosed factors
point toward foul play. While the bodies turned up in separate spots in eastern New Orleans, the feet of both
Kenneth and Lakeitha Joseph were found bound with blue nylon rope,
according to an search warrant application filed by New Orleans detective Ryan
Vaught. Kenneth Joseph's feet were tethered to the handle of a 30-pound kettlebell, according to the affidavit, dated Thursday.

The cause of death for both has been classified as drowning. The St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office and the NOPD are investigating the deaths as homicides, although both departments have said little about their inquiry.

During the investigation, police checked a Kenner Wal-Mart store where surveillance recordings show a couple buying two kettlebells. A search of store records turned up a receipt totalling $177.20 for purchases on Feb. 19 about 1 a.m.: Two 30-pound kettlebells, two hooded, fleece sweatshirts, three pairs of '"gripping gloves," fishing line, blue utility rope, two pairs of shoes and a bottle of degreaser.

The items were charged to American Express. The card holder's transactions are the object of the search warrant.

Relatives reported the Joseph couple missing Feb. 19, the same day of the Wal-Mart purchases. Also missing was a silver 2010 Dodge Caravan that Kenneth Joseph regularly borrowed from a relative.

The van was found Feb. 27, abandoned in the rear parking lot of an apartment complex in College Park, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta. The inside of the vehicle bore "blood evidence," which detectives collected for evaluation, Vaught wrote in the warrant.

On March 10, authorities pulled Lakeitha Joseph's body from the Intracoastal Waterway near the NASA Michoud assembly facility. The 29-year-old woman's feet had been bound together with blue nylon rope, one end of which appeared to have been frayed, a sign "that it may have been tied to an unknown object," Vaught wrote. An autopsy indicated her body had been in the water for at least two weeks.

Twelve days later, Kenneth Joseph's remains were pulled from the same waterway nearby. Both of his feet were tied together with blue nylon rope and tethered to the handle of a 30-pound kettlebell, likely an effort to weigh down his body, Vaught wrote. Kenneth Joseph's remains were so badly decomposed that authorities were able to identify him only by using his dental records, days later.

The Orleans Parish coroner's office turned up no signs of trauma on either body. John Gagliano, chief investigator and spokesman for the coroner's office, would not to comment on the case Wednesday. "We will not discuss the case in order to protect the integrity of the investigation," he said.

St. John Sheriff Mike Tregre said he thinks the case is "very solvable." But he referred questions to the NOPD, which he said is the lead agency in the investigation.

Tregre has said previously that his investigators were studying the couple's cell phone records, but would not elaborate on what those records may have revealed. Presumably, those records include the time and date calls were made which have led St. John investigators to think the homicides happened elsewhere.

"There is nothing in our investigation, at this time, to suggest that foul play took place in St. John Parish," Tregre said. Wednesday "New Orleans is the lead agency and we're here to assist them in anyway we can."

An NOPD spokesman decined to comment. "We don't have any other further information at this time, other than what we've already given out," spokesman Garry Flot said.

The Josephs, married almost 10 years, had no children together. Kenneth Joseph had a teen-aged child from a previous relationship. Relatives described the two as laid-back and family-centered.

Lansley Dixon,
the couple's aunt, said Wednesday that the family is trying to cope with
the deaths, and the conclusion that the Josephs were deliberately drowned. "We have a lot
of people praying with us," Dixon said. "We think the Lord will bring all of
this out into the open."

Dixon said the
family doesn't know why the couple was targeted. But they have hope that the case
will be solved. "We don't know
what it's all about, but we feel confident that they are going to make an
arrest," she said.